Holiday Job Search

It can be tempting to slow down your job search during the holiday season. There are endless preoccupations this time of year and everyone gets caught up in the excitement, often putting their job search on the back burner. It is important to continue your job search during the holiday season.

From late November until late December it can be easy to take time away from your job search with the belief that you’ll pick it back up in the new year. Don’t let that happen to you – use this time to find a job so you can ring in the new year knowing that you’re starting the coming year with an amazing new job.

There is a common belief that everything stops during the holidays; this is not true. Many industries, especially retail, operations, and finance, tend to see a rise in job opportunities around this time of year. Businesses do not stop running because we’re all busy celebrating. Many businesses operate on a yearly budget therefore they may need to get their hiring done before the end of the year for positions they were looking to fill in 2015.

You can benefit from the belief that businesses don’t hire this time of year. Companies tend to have less people apply to jobs between November and December so it is a great time for you to apply to the jobs you want – you’ll have less competition!

The holiday season in general is a excellent time to advance your job search. Not only do you have less competition but you also have an abundance of opportunities to talk about your job search! The holiday season is full of parties and functions that are perfect for networking. The best way to network this time of year is to attend all parties you’re invited to and make sure to talk about your job search – you never know whose company is looking for your skill set or whether one of your acquaintances know someone who can help.

In addition to networking events, the holiday season is perfect for sending holiday cards and connecting with people that can help find you your next job. Sending holiday cards to recruiters, employers, and networking contacts can help to remind people you are looking and bring cheer to their holiday season.

December is also a great time of year to evaluate where you want to be in the coming year. Many people make New Year’s resolutions but is important to consider, before the end of 2015, where you want to be in 2016. What are you looking for in a job? What do you want to accomplish? Are you doing everything in your power to get there? Now’s the time to evaluate yourself and your search and determine how you can move forward efficiently into the coming year.

Many people decide to slow down their search this time of year but it is in your best interest to ramp up your job search throughout the holiday season. Less competition for jobs, employer need, and networking opportunities are all fantastic reasons to keep your job search going full force throughout the holidays, instead of putting it on the back burner.